Brassieres (hereinafter “bras”) that incorporate underwire structures are common. The underwire structures are located beneath the breasts of the wearer and offer support to the shape of the bra and the breasts. It is well known that underwire bras can be prone to damage. Such damage can incur inherently as a result of the fact that the underwire is a rigid item of a small diameter steel rod that is incorporated in a soft fabric bra. Underwires have a habit of affecting the integrity of the bra in particular when the bras are being washed and tumble dried. The underwire can puncture through a channel in which it may be encased and incorporated with the bra. In particular the ends of the underwire can become exposed, sometimes resulting in becoming removed from the bra and being lost. Protruding underwires may cause discomfort to the wearer of the bra by pressing against the skin of the wearer. The wire used for underwire bras is however a cheap solution for providing support. A wire, typically made of steel, is a low cost of manufacture item that has the desired inherent properties useful for providing support. To reduce its propensity to puncture layers of the bra the underwire is normally located in a channel. This adds to the cost of manufacture.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a bra incorporating under breast support as an alternative to an underwire support that will address the abovementioned disadvantages or that will at least provide the public with a useful choice.